Rochester expects to gain support from state restructuring board

The city of Rochester on Tuesday is expected to get a review of its finances approved by the state’s state Financial Restructuring Board.

The board, set up last May, plans to approve the city’s application, making it the largest city in the state to seek the board’s help.

Statewide, there are 389 counties, cities, towns and villages eligible for assistance. But the board’s authority is limited, such as not being able to break union contracts.

The 10-member board, which met for the first time back in September, includes state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The city of Rochester, under former Mayor Thomas Richards, decided last November to apply for the board’s help. The city, the state’s third largest with a population of about 210,000, faces a $38 million budget gap for the fiscal year that starts in July.

If the application is accepted, the panel would study the city’s finances, make recommendations and offer grants or loans of up to $5 million.